WBOY-TV

Infobox_Broadcast
call_letters = WBOY-TV
city = Clarksburg
station_
station_slogan = Your Town. Your State. Your Future.
station_branding = 12 News
Your ABC (on DT2)
analog = 12 (VHF)
digital = 52 (VHF)
other_chs =
affiliations = NBC
ABC (on DT2)
network =
founded =
airdate = November 17, 1957
location = Clarksburg / Fairmont /
Morgantown, West Virginia
callsign_meaning =
former_callsigns =
former_channel_numbers =
owner = West Virginia Media Holdings
licensee =
sister_stations =
former_affiliations = ABC (secondary on analog, 1957-1980s)
effective_radiated_power = 263 kW (analog)
324 kW (digital)
HAAT = 262 m (analog)
249.8 m (digital)
class =
facility_id = 71220
coordinates = coord|39|17|5.7|N|80|19|44.8|W|type:landmark_scale:2000
homepage = [http://www.wboy.com/ wboy.com]

WBOY-TV, channel 12, is the NBC-affiliated television station for Clarksburg, West Virginia. Its transmitter is located in the town. Owned by West Virginia Media Holdings, the station has studios on West Pike Street in central Clarksburg. Syndicated programming on WBOY includes: "Jeopardy!", "Wheel of Fortune", "Oprah", and "Dr. Phil". The station operates the area's ABC affiliate on its second digital subchannel. Known on-air as "Your ABC", it is also offered on cable. This includes Comcast digital channel 112 and Time Warner channel 14. There is a high definition signal of WBOY-DT2 offered on Time Warner digital channels 211 and 711. WBOY identifies itself as "Clarksburg / Morgantown / Fairmont" even though Morgantown is located in the Pittsburgh television market.

History

The station was launched on November 17, 1957. It was the second television station in its small market. WBOY was originally intended to be the ABC affiliate for all of north-central West Virginia. However, the market's intended NBC affiliate (Parkersburg's WTAP-TV) did not have a signal strong enough to reach Clarksburg and Weston. After it became clear that Parkersburg and Clarksburg were going to be separate markets, WBOY joined NBC and remains with the network to this day. However, it retained a secondary ABC affiliation for many years.

In 2001, Hearst-Argyle Television (owner of Pittsburgh's WTAE-TV) acquired WBOY (along with WMUR-TV in Manchester, New Hampshire) from Birney Imes, Jr. a Columbus, Mississippi businessman who also owned that city's WCBI-TV (which was sold to Morris Network). Hearst-Argyle's acquisition of WBOY was finalized on April 30 of that year. Hearst-Argyle kept WMUR but opted to sell WBOY to West Virginia Media Holdings (which was creating a statewide "network" of stations to share resources) in September of that year with the sale closing on December 13.

It is the only West Virginia Media Holding to lead its market share, and is also the only primary West Virginia Media Holdings station to not be affiliated with CBS. Along with sister station WTRF-TV in Wheeling, WBOY launched a new second digital subchannel with ABC programming on August 1, 2008, bringing ABC programming back to the station. Previously, both the Clarksburg / Weston / Fairmont market and the Wheeling / Steubenville market were served by WTAE-TV as the de facto affiliate.

News Operation

After being acquired by West Virginia Media Holdings, the station received a major influx of cash to upgrade its news operation and built a second studio in Morgantown on Scott Avenue. A major emphasis was placed on news from that town in the hopes of increasing ratings and thus getting the town reassigned to the Clarksburg / Fairmont market. WBOY also produces a large amount of sports content relative to West Virginia University located in that town for use by the other member stations. Today, WBOY is the only West Virginia Media Holdings station to have the lead in local news ratings in its respective market.

West Virginia Media Holdings produces a half-hour long newscast called "West Virginia Tonight Live" that originates from the Morgantown newsroom. It airs on weeknights at 5:30 simultaneously on WBOY, WTRF (in Wheeling), WOWK-TV (in Huntington / Charleston), and WVNS-TV (in Beckley). "West Virginia Tonight Live" is simulcasted on WJAL-TV. When WBOY launched the ABC affiliate on its second digital subchannel, it resulted in the debut of the market's first weeknight 7 o'clock newscast. Known as "12 News Live on ABC", it broadcasts exclusively on the ABC station. Otherwise, WBOY-DT2 simulcasts the weekday editions of "12 News" at 6 A.M., Noon, 6, and 11 P.M. In addition, there is a public affairs program called "Decision Makers". Hosted by company president and CEO, Bray Cary, it airs on Saturday mornings at 9 and Sunday mornings at 8 on all West Virginia Media Holdings stations.

Digital television

Analog-to-digital conversion

After the analog television shutdown and digital conversion, which is tentatively scheduled to take place on February 17, 2009http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-06-1082A2.pdf] , WBOY-TV will move its digital broadcasts back to its present analog channel number, 12. [http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/cdbsmenu.hts?context=25&appn=101242583&formid=387&fac_num=71220 CDBS Print ] ] http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/getattachment_exh.cgi?exhibit_id=616897] With WDTV moving it's present digital signal back to channel 5, the Weston/Clarksburg market will be one of the few in which none of it's stations will need PSIP to air on a virtual channel.

News team

Anchors
*Don Graye - weekday mornings and Noon
**reporter
*Albert Zipp - Managing Editor seen on weeknights at 5, 7, and 11
*April Kaull - weeknights at 5:30 and 6
**Morgantown News Manager
*Sarah Kapis - weekday mornings
**Harrison County reporter

"StormTracker 12 Meteorologists"
*Jason Parrish (AMS and NWA Seals of Approval) - Chief seen on weeknights
*Josh Fosbrink - weekday mornings and Noon
*TBD - weekends

Sports
*Scott Grayson - Director seen on weeknights at 6, 7, and 11
*Amanda McCall - weekends
**sports anchor
*Dave Stingo - NASCAR commentator
**television sales

Reporters
*Courtney Dunn - Monongalia and Preston Counties Bureau Chief
*Macall Allen - Monongalia and Preston Counties
*Karen Kiley - Marion and Taylor Counties Bureau Chief
*Hilary Magacs - Upshur and Randolph Counties Bureau Chief
*Chris Marrs - video journalist
*J. Turchetta - fill-in anchor and meteorologist
*Jeff Schrock - photographer
*Dani Brake - reporter
*Susan Sullivan - reporter

Former staff

* Spencer Adkins - (now the Chief Meteorologist at sister WOWK)
* Valerie Abati - (now morning and noon Meteorologist at KDKA-TV)
* Gary Bowden - (Owns his own Advertising Agency - Gary Bowden Marketing)
* Greg Chandler - (now at KQDS-TV in Duluth, MN)
* Christine D'Antonio - (now known as Christine Kennedy at WITN-TV in Washington, NC)
* Josh DeVine - (now at WJRT-TV in Flint, MI)
* Bob Fulton - (now with Dominion Power media relations)
* Gabe Gutierrez - (now at [http://abclocal.go.com/wjrt/story?section=bios&id=5384978 WJRT-TV] in Flint, MI)
* Sarah Lieu - (consumer reporter for West Virginia Media Holdings group)
* Steven Ring - (now at WRBL in Columbus, GA)
* Natalie Tennant - (2008 Democratic candidate for WV Secretary of State)
* Erik Wells - (Democratic member of the West Virginia Senate)
* Lorie Wyant - (now Lorie Stingo, works for the FBI in Clarksburg)
* Adam Joseph - (now at [http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/story?section=bios&id=3320682 WPVI-TV] in Philadelphia)
* Mike Simons - (died at the age of 49 from complications after a bone marrow transplant)
* Brian Slocum - (now at [http://www.wxii12.com/newsteam/4751959/detail.html WXII-TV] in Winston-Salem, NC)
* Kristie Kubovic - (now at [http://www.wlextv.com/Global/story.asp?S=4343418&nav=menu203_3_4 WLEX-TV] in Lexington, KY)
* John Rodgers - (now at WCAV/WVAW-LP/WAHU-CA in Charlottesville, VA)
* Julie Chin - (now at [http://www.kjrh.com/content/aboutus/bios/story.aspx?content_id=63158734-3dda-4603-aa68-db5f2fcf11b2 KJRH-TV] in Tulsa)
* Joe Porter - (now working as a music producer in Chicago)
* Chris Clark - (now at [http://www.baynews9.com/content/13/2007/5/2/244134.html BayNews 9] in Tampa)
* Pete Yanity - (now at [http://www.wspa.com/midatlantic/spa/authors/pete_yanity.html WSPA-TV] in Spartanburg, SC)
* Jim Valliere - (now at Pinellas County Government, Clearwater, FL)
* Eric Minor - (now at [http://www.wtov9.com WTOV9] Steubenville, Oh/Wheeling, WV)
* Lauren Hills - (now at WNCN in Raleigh, North Carolina)
* Denise Alex - (now at The Ohio News Network, Columbus, Ohio)
* Janis Edmon - (now at KFMB-TV in San Diego)

References

External links

* [http://www.wboy.com/ WBOY-TV/DT "12 News"]
* [http://yourwvabc.com/ WBOY-DT2 "Your ABC"]
*TVQ|WBOY-TV